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Month: September 2016

Harvest season is almost a magical for me. I love to watch as my pantry shelves slowly fill with jars of all shapes and sizes and colors. It makes me feel “warm and cozy” inside. It’s kind of therapeutic. I have to admit that once all my “staple” canning and freezing gets done I like to make my “special” pickles and relishes. On the menu this harvest season is Giardiniera, a wonderful savory mixed veggie relish. This year I had a nice crop of Greek oregano that I dried so I will be using that even though Giardiniera is traditionally Italian.

Note: I found that pressure canning will cause the veggies to lose their crispness. Now I hot pack this and store in the fridge once cooled. If you make a half batch it stores well in the fridge in a covered container and tastes great even raw. Experiment! Send me your feedback I’d love to hear from you!

Mix well, cover and let marinate for a few hours. Transfer to large pan and bring all ingredients to a boil. Pack into hot 8 oz jars and wipe rims well. Seal jars with hot lids. (I cheat and use my dishwasher sanitize cycle to get my jars, rings and lids hot.) Store in fridge once cooled. Makes 9 cups.

Recently, the company who makes my favorite brand of French Onion chip dip stopped making it. I’ve tried several other brands but just can’t find one I like. Whenever this happens I just can’t resist trying to replicate the flavor. The recipe below is one of my best failures yet! This also tastes great as a spread on toasted bagels. Another Happy Accident!!!

Garlicy Onion Dip

GARLICY ONION DIP

Ingredients:

2 medium organic yellow onions (finely minced)

2 tablespoons organic butter

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups Chobani greek yogurt

3/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise

¼ – ½ teaspoon garlic powder (this can be optional)

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Saute’ the onions in the butter and grape seed oil and ½ teaspoon salt until soft and translucent. Set aside to cool. Mix yogurt, mayo, garlic, salt and pepper. Add cooled onions to yogurt mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight to marry flavors. YUM!!!